


A Deal to Kill for

by nbspandam



Category: One Piece
Genre: Angst, Background Character Death, Body Horror, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2018-12-29 02:46:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12072981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nbspandam/pseuds/nbspandam
Summary: After the cure for the illness that struck the Rumbar Pirates fails to work on any of the remnants but the captain, Calico Yorki is stranded on Omatsuri Island. Unbeknownst to him, his struggle for survival has an unexpected variable mixed in. Will he make it off of the island, or will he succumb to the Lily Carnation and her whims?





	1. Offer

**Author's Note:**

> Got no crew left? No worries, The Lily Carnation will offer you a replacement for the low low price of murder and cannibalization for the rest of your life!

It hadn’t worked. The medicine Terrance had worked so hard on, the one  _ damn _ thing that had given him any hope for the survival of his crew, hadn’t worked. Why? Why had it failed? It had worked so well on him, the rashes fading to mere dark patches of skin littering his body and the cough lessening bit by bit. And yet, not one bit of it had managed to curb the disease that had still plagued what was left of his crew until the bitter end. 

Now, he had nothing left. Their ship that had gotten stranded on this jungle island couldn’t be sailed by a single man, and his crew mates had been taken away by the sea and its many currents. None of them would have wanted a ground burial, after the split. 

Even so, he couldn’t die. Death was no apology, and he couldn’t leave this world without finding out what had happened to Brook and the rest. But where would he go? Where  _ could _ he go? Something had to exist on this island, some kind of civilization, whether it was mere ruins or a bustling village… 

_ “ _ Excuse me.” 

Huh? 

Yorki turned his head, brow furrowed in confusion. He could’ve sworn that he’d heard a high-pitched voice just now, but… That wasn’t possible right? Not out here by the edge of the jungle, where only the sea and the cry of birds could be heard- 

“Excuse me. Are you alone?” 

Again, where the hell could it be coming from? He looked all around himself, convinced that he must already be going mad when something caught his eye. 

It was a flower, loosely rooted in the small patch of fauna that grew closest to where the beach began, a face adorning the center of it, which was smiling of all things. 

“Are you alone?” it repeated in that high-pitched, almost polite tone, tilting its “head” a little to the side as if curious about his answer. 

“... Yeah.” he replied, after simply staring at it in a baffled manner. Was he dreaming? Or was he simply hallucinating due to some side effects of the vaccine that hadn’t shown themselves until now? 

“I see… I’m alone too.” said the flower, still speaking in the same tone as before.    
Even so, a chill started to crawl down his spine, dread settling in his ribcage. What kind of creature was this, and what did it want?

“Do you miss them?” 

…. What? 

“What are you-”

“Your crew. Do you miss them?” the flower repeated, tilting its little head to the other side now.  

“Wh- Of course I do! They were practically family, and now they’re all, gone…” Yorki replied, feeling a bit of anger flare up. How could this  _ thing _ speak of things so casually?! Curling his hands into fists, he glared at it. 

_ “Do you want to see them again?”  _

In that moment, everything seemed to freeze up, including Yorki himself. The flower had somehow moved without him realizing, and it had wrapped one of its roots around his arm for just a moment before withdrawing again. He could only watch as a sprout popped up next to it, and how it suddenly changed into something else. 

“You called, captain?” 

No. 

No. This couldn’t be happening. 

Yorki’s eyes grew wide, a wave of nausea overcoming him while his gaze remained nailed to the person in front of him. It was Terrance, the one who had been the first out of them to die. He looked  _ exactly _ like he had at the happiest point of their lives, the only difference being the sprout that stuck out at the top of his head. 

“T.. Terrance?” he muttered, finally moving his gaze back over to the flower, which was now humming and smiling. 

He couldn’t. There was no way he could accept this, whatever trick this flower had for him he wasn’t going to fall for it. He still had people waiting for him, he still had  _ Laboon _ waiting for him, back at the cape! 

“I’m Lily. If you ever get lonely here, you know who to look for.” the flower said, and it watched as he turned on his heel and ran off into the dark jungle, a smile still in place as the sprouted Terrance disappeared. 

It would be only a matter of time, before he would be lured into its grasp. 

\------

He didn’t know how much time he’d spent wandering this island, but he supposed he should be glad that nothing had come to kill him yet. He plucked his hat off of his head and dragged a hand through his hair, noting that it was damp from both the humidity of the jungle and his own sweat. Fantastic. Yorki just hoped he’d be able to find something to eat before night fell… 

A faint sound made him turn his head, but soon enough he discarded it as nothing more than a ghost of his mind. He’d always had an active imagination, after all. 

\------

Taking shelter in a jungle wasn’t so bad after the first few days, though he could do without the rain. He was lucky that some of the foliage was way bigger than himself and could therefore keep him dry, really. Yorki fiddled a bit with the ring on his left hand, heaving a sigh. 

He had to find better shelter soon. He didn’t want to get sick again. 

\------

Things were too quiet. Now that he’d found an old building amongst ruins not even the sounds of the jungle and its animals reached him anymore. It now completely sunk in just how alone he was. There was no other human on this island. He was the only one.

Yorki didn’t sleep well anymore. The silence and solitude plagued him, yet he couldn’t stay asleep for more than a handful of hours. The rest of his time was spent searching for food and something that could keep him warm during the long nights. 

Taking off the ring on his hand, he read the carved in phrase that stood on the inside of that simple golden band.

_ ‘Till death do us part, we’ll always sing together. Brook, Calico Yorki.  _

A bitter chuckle left him, and he carefully slipped it back onto his ring finger. So much for always singing together, huh. He could only hope that wherever Brook was with the remaining Rumbar Pirates, they were having one hell of a time on their way around the world. He wanted nothing less for them.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could’ve sworn that he’d spotted something yellow.    
As soon as he turned his head to look, it was gone. 

… He really needed more sleep.

\-----

He missed them. Terrance, Heinrich, Goliath, David, Pedro, Michael, Will, Vincent, Tristan, Mozart… Brook. 

He missed all of them, so much. 

Wrapping his arms around himself tightly, he shut his eyes and tried to daydream himself away from this place. He wanted to be with his crew again, so badly. He wanted to be yelled at for doing something risky mid-battle, he wanted to hear the terrible puns David and Goliath dished out whenever they saw an opportunity, he wanted to hear their voices singing again as one… He wanted to hold Brook again, and never let him go. 

God, this loneliness was killing him. 

\-----

_ The ship of the Rumbar Pirates was a celebratory sight, with at least two dozen men running about with jugs of ale in hand and food being passed around, uproarious laughter scattering like waves with the sound of a whale’s chirping joining in from time to time.  _

_ “Captain! Your bounty rose again!”  _

_ “Hah! Would you look at that!” Yorki said with a grin on his face, striking a bit of a pose near the railing as parts of his crew gathered around the newspaper that held his wanted poster in it. Today had been a good day, their latest arrival at an island going off without even so much as a minor hitch. They’d gotten children to laugh and smile once again.  _

_ Of course, things still went awry, especially for pirates like them. He turned his head, hearing the sound of cannon fire hitting the waters, followed by the panicked yells of part of his crew. “The marines are here!”  _

_ “Alright, get ready to set sail! Mozart, I’m counting on your navigation!”  _

_ “Aye aye, captain!”  _

_ In the midst of firing their own cannonballs at the pursuing Marine ships, while Yorki turned to yell out orders, his footing on the deck slipped and he landed on the deck with a surprisingly quiet thud.  _

_ “Captain! Are you okay!?”  _

“Haha, yeah I’m alri-”

Oh. 

Yorki blinked once or twice, finding himself not on his old beloved ship with his old beloved crew, but rather on a cold stone floor inside a ruin. He’d rolled off of his makeshift cot again. There was no one here. Of course there wasn’t. He was all alone. 

All alone, on this island. 

His body felt numb as he shifted and laid back down on his cot, feeling like his heart had frozen over from nothing more than longing and the heavy weight of solitude. 

He had to live on, as well as he could. Doing any less would disappoint his crew, who’d fought so hard to save his life. Yorki looked down at his hand, faintly seeing the familiar glint of dulled gold wrapped around his left ring finger. He wouldn’t break his promise. 

Kissing the ring once, he then rolled over onto his other side and curled up, his eyes falling shut. His hope may be barely a spark now, but with this reminder of the life he’d lived it continued to burn, albeit faintly. 

\----

It was gone. He’d looked everywhere in his path, but it was gone. The only thing he’d thought right to keep, the single object he had that had held more significance to him than music, the  _ thing keeping him afloat _ , was nowhere to be found.    
The wedding ring was lost. 

Yorki gritted his teeth and dragged his hands through his hair, feeling whatever patience he had run completely dry. He was sick of being here, he was sick of being the only living human being on this godforsaken island, and he was  _ so tired _ of losing everything he’d ever had! 

It took hardly any time at all before tears started to fall, rolling down his face in waves. His frustration, loneliness, longing and guilt had reached its endpoint; he couldn’t take this anymore. His throat and chest ached, his quiet sobs causing trembles throughout his entire body as he wrapped his arms around himself, and he sank to his knees.

He didn’t want to die like this. All alone with nothing that could let anyone know that he had once existed. The crew was dead, and with God bearing judgement for some sin he was unaware of, certainly Brook and his half of the crew was dead too. 

He couldn’t bear it. If only for a day, he needed to hear them, to see them one last time.    
Pain was proof that you were alive, but honestly, at this point he’d rather be dead than have to trudge through the agony of being alone like this. 

\--------

“So you’ve decided?” 

“... Yeah.”

It really wasn’t fair. Lily didn’t even seem surprised at all. But, he didn’t really care. 

Her lack of reaction didn’t matter. As long as she could give him what he desired the most in this moment, nothing that she did mattered. 

“Then, your shoulder will do.” 

… Huh?

“What do you mean…?” His voice was hoarse, his words uncertain. 

“Your shoulder. I’ll use it as a perch, once you’ve made room for my roots.”

Oh.  _ Oh. _ So that’s what she needed him for. Nutrients, and a safety net against things stronger than her. Heh. Of course it was like this. 

Regardless, he still shrugged off his captain’s coat, brandishing his sword in one hand. After a moment of consideration, he wrapped his other hand around the handle as well.   
Then, he brought it down. 

Gritting his teeth he let the blade sink in several inches, lowering one arm once he’d gone through skin. Pulling out the sword, he could feel the blood slowly running down over his skin. 

Yorki didn’t miss the look of almost sadistic glee on Lily’s face, but even so he got down his knees and turned his back to her, his eyes falling shut in wait of what was to come. 

_ “Thank you for your humble offering.”  _

Her words did little to lighten the brunt of agony that shot through his bleeding wound in response to her literally digging her limbs into him, but it was something. Made it feel like he was talking to something other than a parasite, who only acted kindhearted to get him to do what she wanted. 

Those were his last few thoughts before everything went dark, his mind slipping away into the throes of blissful unconsciousness, the pain of Lily rooting herself in his shoulder now a distant sensation.

\----

_ “Guys, he’s waking up! He’s okay!”  _

That’s strange… Was he still dreaming? His eyelids felt so heavy, but the pain in his shoulder was new. Yorki let out a weak groan, struggling for a moment before he slowly opened his eyes, the harsh light of the sun seeming blocked by several shapes surrounding him. 

“Captain! You’re awake!” 

Hearing that voice again made his head snap up, and he gaped at the sight before him. 

They were all here.  _ His crew were all here.  _

With that realization hitting him he immediately moved to stand, only for a thin pair of arms to reach out and catch him when he stumbled, a smooth voice coming from somewhere a foot above him. 

“Oh dear, guess you’re still rather sleep-fogged, Captain.” 

Yorki felt his breath leave him in that moment, and he slowly lifted his head to look up to the man who had not only caught him so gently, but who he’d missed so dearly that he’d thought he’d gone mad with grief over the mere idea of never seeing him again. 

“Brook…” he whispered, tears he thought he’d run out of easily gathering in his eyes and falling just as naturally as rain fell from cloudy skies. Within moments, he had his arms around him, sobs wracking through his entire body. He was here! They all were! He wasn’t alone anymore! 

“It’s alright, Captain… We’re all here now, you don’t have to be alone anymore.“ 

On some level, he knew. He knew none of these people were his real crew. The throbbing in his shoulder and the faint hum of Lily reminded him of that, but…

This was all he had, now. And the gods could pry that out of his cold, dead hands. 


	2. Draw

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me six months but it is Finally here!!!!!! The second chapter in this trilogy of pain and suffering, I hope you'll enjoy it!

“Yorki.”

“Yes, Lily?”

“I’m hungry."  
  
Silence settled between them, the distant cheers of his crew hardly registering as a chill crept up his spine. For some reason, he felt like he couldn’t even turn his head to glance at her, an innate part of him fearing what he would find rooted in his shoulder.

“... Is my body not enough?”

The flower seemed to hum in thought at the question, the sensation of her swaying from side to side creating an ache that passed through his shoulder. He knew that this couldn’t last forever, but he also knew that if this was ripped away from him, he wouldn’t be able to survive. He was desperate, to live this lie.

“It’s not that, it’s just that if I keep growing like this, you’ll die. And that would be tragic.”

Even the biggest of fools knew that she didn’t mean a word of that, and that she only said it to make it seem like she cared about his fate. But hell, he’d rather swallow this lie a million times over than accept the facts. Denial was all he could muster, and she’d let him deny as much as he wanted to.

“What should I do?”

She giggled, as if the question was funny to her somehow. Then, he felt her vines brush over his hands and lay across his palms in straight lines, their form and texture changing until suddenly he stood there, a bow in his hand with an arrow already in place.

“Just do as I tell you, and it will all work out. Do you know how to write, Yorki?”  
\--------  
“Woahhh! Is that an orchestra!?”

“What a bunch of weirdos, they’ve all got plants sticking out of their heads!”

“Do you think we’ll be able to restock here?”

Yorki lowered his hands one final time before the music faded, turning to face the small chorus of voices with a grin. Lily grinned just the same, though her little hums were quiet this time.

“Welcome, pirates! I take it you’ve had a long journey to get this far.” he said, reaching up and adjusting his hat as he scanned the small group for whoever the captain of them were. Of course, that wasn’t hard to identify with the way these people seemed centered around a young, exuberant woman.

Something tightened in his chest, but his grin didn’t falter.

“What say you to the offer of some dinner and song?”

“Sounds great! We’re all in!” The captain cheered, her two braids flopping around her head like the tails of a dog as she turned to look at the rest of the crew. Naturally, they all agreed to that statement even if some were more reluctant than others.

“Fantastic! Let’s get to it, boys!” Yorki called, and his own crew responded with their own chorus of ‘Aye, Captain Yorki!’.

And as things started to get rolling, with the crews mingling with each other and the chef getting around to making dinner, Lily hummed. It was a sound to show how pleased she was, but all Yorki could think about was the weight of that bow in his hands.  
\---  
The night progressed as one would expect when pirates were involved. Drinking, card games and various kinds of gambling happened all around while dish after dish was passed around by Yorki’s more diligent crew members.

“More beer please!” called the captain as she slammed down her cards onto the wooden table, a triumphant smile on her freckled face. The groan of defeat from Tristan was enough to make her laugh, loudly and freely.

“Here you go, Frida!” Will said as he put down not just one but _two_ whole jugs of ale in front of her. Somehow, he hadn’t disturbed the game of poker with that.

“Vickyyy! I won! I told you I’d win!” Frida yelled, and chugged some of it before looking around for part of her crew.

“I don’t think Vicky’s nearby, captain.” another of her crew said, stealing the other jug of ale right from under her nose. “Maybe she’s gone off to find a toilet.”  
“But I wanted to show her that I could win this game when she’s not the one playing against me.” Frida said, sighing a little. “Oh well, I’ll just have to win again when she comes back!”

“That’s the spirit!” Quinn said with a slight grin on their face, and sipped the ale.

A faint hiss of pain left Yorki, and when he looked down at his hands, he saw four little crescent marks in his palms from where his nails had dug into the skin. Just seeing that kind of interaction, wholly unhindered and with no fear for the future, made something deep inside him _ache_.

“Captain?”

Yorki stiffened up in surprise, then turned to look up at Brook. If he didn’t look so closely, he could almost delude himself into thinking that he wasn’t another memory solidified by Lily’s powers. He smiled up at him, trying to push past the pain in his heart for now.

“Yes, Brook?”

“You’re looking awfully pale… Perhaps you should take a little walk to clear your mind?”

“I… Yeah, maybe I should. You can tell our guests that I’ll be on the lookout for Vicky, alright?” Yorki said, his smile faltering for a moment. He curled his hands into fists again, fearing that if someone were to see them they would notice their shaking.

“Of course, Captain Yorki. Take care, and when you return I’ll play you your favorite song.” Brook replied, a smile on his face as if nothing was amiss at all.

Yorki offered another smile in return, and gave one of Brook’s hands a kiss before he went on his way. Walking past the wooden tables scattered around the area was no difficult task, even with the almost insistent tug of roots in his shoulders. As soon as he’s out of sight, the smile falls.

“It’s time for the hors d’oeuvres.” Lily said, her voice cheery and light in tone as if what he was about to do was anything but cold-blooded murder of someone who’d done nothing wrong. His hands curled even tighter, teeth gritted.

Even so, he didn’t stop walking. Lily knew this island just as well as she knew the network of her roots inside his body, making the search hardly an issue. Even so, part of him would have liked a while to steel his nerves for what he was going to do. There was no time.

“You know… I didn’t want to make any assumptions.” Vicky said as he approached, her back turned to him as she looked up to the mountain visible in the distance. By just hearing that tone, Yorki’s heart started to beat faster.

“What do you mean?” he asked, almost choking on his own words.

“I didn’t want to make any assumptions about your crew or anything, but… They’re not really human, are they?” Vicky asked, turning her head slightly and locking eyes with him. Her gaze bore into him, as if every facade he’d put up was made of thin, far too fragile glass that shattered under her scrutiny.

“... So you know, then.” he managed to utter, heart threatening to break through his ribcage with how fast it was beating. His pulse was pounding in his ears, and whatever this woman who’d seen through it all said in response, he didn’t hear it.

A bow materialized in his hands, an arrow already notched in place.

He didn’t even need to think.

He didn’t even need to _see_.

Raise, pull back the string, keep the arrow straight, _**fire**_.

“Hors d’oeuvres, hors d’oeuvres!” Lily chanted as Vicky’s body staggered and collapsed to the ground, an arrow sticking out of her back.

The bow clattering to the ground is the only sound aside from Lily’s voice, Yorki’s ears completely deaf to it. Instead of picking it back up, he slowly stepped over to Vicky’s collapsed body and kneeled down to see if she was still alive.

“... Why did you keep her alive, Lily?” he asked, voice not even loud enough to break past the sound of his own pulse.

“Because! It’s no good if they’re already dead.” Lily replied, just as cheerful as before.

His blood turned to ice, and his stomach dropped.

“Don’t worry, you won’t have to take her to the mountain. Just go back to the party.” Lily said, her tone just a little softer than before as if to soothe him. Still, she doesn’t sound much different.

Regardless, he got to his feet to do as she told him to. Casting one final glance at Vicky’s unmoving body, Yorki then turned on his heel and left. Whatever happened to her after this wasn’t something he could prevent. Hell, he was an instrumental part in it even happening _in the first place_.

He walked forward as if in a trance, hands no longer curled tightly. His pulse no longer pounded in his ears, either. It was as if time had slowed down after that arrow had been shot, and he had no way of reversing the flow.

_“Uh-oh.”_

With only that reaching his ears, a chorus of voices crying out Brook’s name in shock snapped him out of his equilibrium and he _ran_ , as fast as his feet could carry him as if that could stop what he feared had happened.

Pushing past tables and people alike, he at last reached where Brook sat, his heart almost leaping out of his throat at the sight.

His beloved, the man who could play Bink’s Sake like no other, who had helped him make the Rumbar Pirates feel like home, lay withered and hunched over the table without moving a muscle. It didn’t even look like he was breathing anymore, and Yorki felt his mind go completely blank.

This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not after he’d already sent off a poor, young pirate on her way to be _eaten_ , this-- this wasn’t _supposed to happen!_

Without saying a word, he reached down and carefully placed his hand over Brook’s withered one, his heart breaking in two at the feeling of how fragile it was. He hadn’t realized that his memories could be hurt like this, and it plagued him.

“Hey, what happened to him?” Frida asked, visibly worried even while she wisely kept her distance from where he stood at the table. Even the most naive of captains seemed to know when it was appropriate to back off, and part of him was grateful for that, because now she couldn’t hear the giggling of Lily that reached his ears.

“I don’t know… What went down while I was gone?” he asked, his voice low and subdued as he glanced over to her, unshed tears making his eyes shine slightly in the light of the torches and candles all around them.

“I dunno-- We just, we started talking about our adventures and after he told us the story of the little island whale he mentioned that you’d been really sick and I asked how you recovered, and--” Frida rambled, visibly trying not to openly stared at the husk of Brook.

“He started shriveling up after she asked that.” Quinn added on, one hand now resting on the sheathed sword hanging from their belt. Even Yorki, who was barely hanging onto what was going on, realized that they weren’t being cautious of an unforeseen threat--

They _realized_ that this had something to do with the plants. With their captain still in shock, they’d figured it out. Time was running out, fast. He had to make sure that they didn’t escape. This small bit of peace that he’d slaved for couldn’t be taken away from him, he wouldn’t let _anyone_ stop him!

“Where’s Vicky?” Frida asked, whipping her head around to try and spot their missing crew member while the rest of them gathered up.

“Where did you last see her?” Tristan asked, getting up from his seat at the table after casting a sympathetic glance at his captain and first mate.

“Over near the entrance there, I think…” Frida mumbled, pointing to the very same place Yorki had come out from before. “I’m gonna go check it out!” she then exclaimed, immediately taking off without heeding Quinn’s faintly strangled noise of protest.

“... Be careful, Frida!” Quinn then called after her, one hand still on the handle of their weapon of choice.

“I will! You better be ready for when I come back with Vicky!” Frida yelled back before quickly disappearing through the gate, footsteps fading bit by bit.

Yorki sniffled, tears finally falling from his eyes. He took a second to wipe them away, shrugging off his captain’s coat once that was done. Not even looking at Quinn, he then carefully draped the garment over Brook’s shoulders. He didn’t have to look up to hear the shocked gasp that left them at the sight of his left shoulder.

“Main course, main course!” Lily chanted just as the bow from before once again materialized in his hands, the sound of a sword being drawn the only reason he didn’t immediately bring it up to aim.

Instead, he moved back just in time to avoid a swing aimed at his chest and continued moving backwards, Tristan stepping in front of him with his own sword drawn. To rely on his crew to let him pull the bowstring back and shoot felt bittersweet somehow, because it was like the past and yet nothing like it.

The crew he’d lead all around the West Blue was no more, and all he could cling to were the memories turned corporeal for a price. Still, he clung to it with all of his might.

He still didn’t need to think.

He still didn’t need to see.

Pulling the bowstring taught and firing only took a second, Quinn’s cry for their captain to flee getting cut tragically short. Another arrow made its way into his hands, and they no longer shook as he waited for the final course to realize what was going on.  
\---  
“Where are they!?” Frida yelled as she made her way over to Yorki, tears of frustration rolling down her face in waves. Her fists curled tight, ready to be thrown at any time even as they trembled. “Where did you take my crew?!

Yorki almost pitied her a little bit. Whatever part of him that still didn’t want to kill for something like this found it tragic that this was how things would go. The only thing that overrode that sorrow, was the bitterness. That she had not felt the loss he had failed to cope with. That she had no idea how easily she could lose those she cherished the most, until he snatched it all away from her.

The smallest, tiniest bit of himself felt satisfaction with this. To take away from others what had been taken from them, leaving them to wallow in the despair, loneliness and hopeless grief he’d felt before their lives ended. To let someone else know, in the most selfish, hurtful way possible.

He drew the bowstring back once more, and fired.

Falling into a heap at his feet, he forced himself to watch as she slipped into unconsciousness, her hands no longer a weapon to brandish against him. Yorki didn’t dare to miss the hatred in her eyes, directed at him for ruining their lives like this.

Lily’s pleased humming passed him by without notice, and he walked back to where Brook still sat, captain’s coat draped over his shoulders like a blanket.  
By the time he reached the table, a faint groan caught his attention. His eyes grew wide as Brook, who’d shriveled up like a dried up leaf, slowly moved to sit up, one hand over his face.

“Captain…?” he asked, slowly turning his head to look at him through the dark lenses of his glasses, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What happened?”

“Nothing, Brook. You were just tired.” Yorki heard himself reply, as a slight smile made its way onto his face while another tear or two fell. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around him and buried his face in his shoulder.

“I see… Were you lonely, Yorki?”

“Not at all, Brook. Not at all.”


End file.
